I. Increased U.S. Operations In Africa In this section, I will provide a brief history of U.S. military involvement on the African continent, starting with the Barbary Wars and working up through the current date. This historical documentation will highlight the change in the role the United States has played in Africa [post 9-11???]. Prior to 9-11, the United States’ interactions were mainly [capture summary here]. Since [?], however, the continent has faced a marked increase in violent extremism and terrorism leading the United States to partner with many African nations in counterterrorism initiatives. These, and other initiatives, mean an increasing number U.S. service members are deploying to Africa to take part in training, humanitarian issues and military operations. These military activities are run by United States African Command, a recently created combatant command. A. U.S. Military Involvement in Africa United States military involvement in Africa dates back to the Barbary Wars between 1801 and 1817,1 in which the U.S. Navy fought and won two separate wars with Tripoli and Algiers.2 Following the Barbary Wars, Congress passed The Act of 1819, which authorized the President to send armed vessels to conduct raids of slave ships belonging to U.S. citizens or residents off the coast of Africa.3 These missions continued between 1820 and 1823.4 Twenty years later, the U.S. was back in African waters again conducting naval demonstrations and shore landings designed to discourage piracy and slave trafficking.5 In addition to naval intervention operations, the Navy and Marine Corps conducted multiple missions in the late nineteenth century to protect U.S. interests in Africa and to retrieve kidnapped Americans.... ... middle of paper ... ...an expansive array of operations which range from humanitarian efforts, peacekeeping, noncombatant evacuations to counterterrorism efforts, enforcement of sanctions and maritime interdiction operations.52 AFRICOM is unlike other combatant commands, however, in many aspects. For example, AFRICOM focuses on increasing African military capabilities to improve their ability to provide their own security and stability in their individual nations and regions. To do this, the DoD expends most of its focus and resources on joint training and assistance with African military partners. 53 Training, joint exercises, military operations and humanitarian relief cannot be done from afar, which means U.S. service members must deploy to various countries within Africa. Before sending U.S. forces abroad, AFRICOM must ensure there are adequate status protections in place.54
The prologue provides excellent background information leading up to the launch of the North African campaign, describing in juicy detail the Allied debate between a campaign in North Africa and a cross-channel invasion, presenting the idea that fighting in North Africa was really fighting for British imperial interests instead of get...
The operational requirements of the Army during overseas contingency operations have been extensive. The Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) Model has proven effective in sustaining persistent mission requirements by ensuring units are operationally prepared to deploy. Commanders and Senior Non Commissioned Officers (SNCO) have responded professionally to the ARFORGEN process by building and maintained cohesive units ready to meet the stringent demands of COIN operations. U...
The terrorist threat posed to United States (U.S.) interests within the Horn of Africa (HOA) is represented by one terrorist organization in particular, al-Shabaab. Areas of concern towards key strategic interests for the U.S. consist of armed conflicts, violent extremism, global trade, and maritime security in which al-Shabaab possess an influential capacity to disrupt, which effects political, economic, and social stability throughout region. As countries within the HOA continue to gain strategic importance to U.S. interest and policy makers, al-Shabaab and the various entities they collaborate with affect the stability of the region and remain a prevalent threat.
Probably one of the most recognized events of the 1980’s is the collapse of communism but first it is important to look at events that leading up to this collapse to provide a better context of events post collapse. One very significant period of time was the mid 1980’s when it seemed all eyes were on Africa in its entirety. The release of the song “We are the World” in 1985, the “Break the Chains” campaign of 1987, and the focus on the influential figure, Desmond Tutu, during 1986 are all examples of how the United States and other countries were focused on providing aid to africa. In her book, Enlightened Aid: U.S. Development as Foreign Policy in Ethiopia, Amanda McVety explains this aid and how United Sates foreign aid was a cold war project, “It offered a Cold War weapon that was not a weapon and promised peace through peaceful me... ...
Past military events have demonstrated the importance of anticipation and preparation for a wide spectrum of missions and capabilities. To conduct these operations, the U.S. Military must prepare to move and conduct them anywhere in the world. The Military must also have the capability to conduct low intensity wars against an ill-defined enemy as well as major conventional style conflicts against major states.
A. Adu Boahen's African Perspectives on Colonialism neatly classifies African responses to European colonialism during both phases of invasion and occupation during the 19th century with precise labels according to their nature or time period. However, the reactions can also be loosely grouped into two diametric characterizations: peaceful and violent. Although creating this dichotomy seems a gross generalization and oversimplification of the colonial African experience, it more importantly allows for a different perspective- one that exposes the overwhelming success of the typically peaceful or pacifist reaction in contrast to the little gain and large losses of the violent response.
Imperialism in Africa took root in the late 19th century when European nations divided up the continent for their own benefit. Each nation practiced a certain type of rule over the Africans of which they conquered. For example, the Germans, the Dutch, and the French used the practice of Direct Rule over their colonies in Africa. This system is characterized by the colonizers need for the colonized to become assimilated into their culture. The purpose of this was to make the African people “civilized” and act like Europeans. The governing administrations forced on the native inhabitants by the colonial power were meant to undermine those institutions set in place by the indigenous people. By taking over the community’s government on all levels,
African leaders knew that isolating Africa from international politics would harm security and economic stability, but opening their states to aid from the US and the USSR allowed for foreign ideological influence. The West planned to stop the spread of foreign communism with “containment” policies, using the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as military force, while the USSR responded with the Warsaw Treaty Organization in 1955. These military organizations were examples of the actions the West and East took to make themselves appear intimidating to other states, but neither resulted in major military action. Instead, they acted as support and communication systems for the West and East as they tried...
Sound international relations promote effective cooperation and is key for building beneficial relationships. The United States (U.S.) and the Republic of Djibouti have a diplomatic bilateral relationship; both take a very proactive position against terrorism and are committed to achieving security and stability in the Horn of Africa (HOA). Djibouti has allowed the U.S. military and other nations access to its port and airport facilities. In return, the U.S. provides counterterrorism assistance, humanitarian support, and security to Djibouti. Many know of the military aspect of this relationship, while the other assistance is often overlooked. This is largely due to the U.S. being more focused on the military than stability and aid. Camp Lemonnier, the U.S. base situated at Djibouti’s International Airport serving as a staging ground for U.S. counterterrorism efforts in the HOA and Arabian Peninsula, is getting attention and controversy (W
In today’s operational environments, the U.S. Army is facing a range of problems and mission sets that are arguably more complex than previously encountered. Forces face an array of demands that encompass geo-political, social, cultural, and military factors that interact in unpredictable ways. The inherent complexity of today’s operations has underscored the need for the Army to expand beyond its traditional approach to operational planning. In March 2010 in FM 5-0: The Operations
American policies demonstrated narrow interest in Africa in the early 1950’s. As every move was suppose a strategic one soon after WWII, Africa was a low precedence harmonious to public needs. For solicitation, Michael Clough eminent that “American policy makers seldom gave pre-eminence to initiatives that did not attend U.S. Strategic share” during this period (Clough, 1). Africa held contracted value at this moment in time. Moreover, Henry Byroade, head of African affairs in 1953 bluntly say, “consider us be candid in allow our post in the puissance an...
The Thirty Years War was a series of conflicts, not-knowingly involving most European countries from 1618 to 1648. The war, which was fought mainly in Germany, was started when Bohemian Protestants furiously attacked the Holy Roman Emperor in terms to impose a restriction on their religious and civil liberties. By understanding the Thirty Years War, you will notice the notable religious, political and social changes. The changes paved the religious and political maps of Europe. Not only did this war affect the religious and political demographic, it caused populations to perish and lose large amounts of their goods. What was known as a religious battle, turned out to be a political feud in competition of which state has the greater power affecting men, women, soldiers and civilians. “[The bohemians] had no idea that their violent deed would set off a chain reaction of armed conflict that would last thirty years and later be called Europe’s “first world war” of the modern era.” When the war ended, the lands were defiled and over 5 million people were killed.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as the DRC or Congo, is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world. The DRC is located in west- central Africa. The Congo is rich in natural resources, especially immensely in mineral- rich land. The Congo has faced corruption, instability and conflict, which have kept the country from growing and developing. I am going to tell you about the Congo, how the first war of the Congo began, who is Laurent-Desire Kabila how the second war of the DRC came about and how it affected the people of the DRC. The war was stimulated by the operation of the security dilemma and the formation of a large and complex network of alliances that resulted from this security dilemma.(add reference)
(a) Africans and Europeans have relations that date all the way back to the origins of humans and human migrations. Scholars have hypothesized that Homo erectus found in Europe about 800,000 years ago originated and migrated from Africa Europeans and Africans also had religious relations; which is evident from the spread of Christianity, introduced by the Byzantines, throughout Africa specifically in North Africa, the Nile Valley, and the Horn of Africa. Aside from religious relations, Africans and Europeans also had economic and political relations as a result of European colonization and conquest of the African regions. Economic relations were a result of Europeans coming into Africa and taking natural resources to benefit from in the production of goods and trade. Another specific example of economic relations between Europeans and Africans is the practice of mercantilism, in which European nations were the mother countries and countries of Africa were the colonies. As the mother country, Europeans, would take natural resources from the colony, African regions, to produce goods, which would then be sold back to the colony. This also attributed to the political relations between Africans and Europeans because the economic desires of the Europeans often led to them controlling the Africans to maximize profit and their own personal benefits; which is directly related to slavery, one of the biggest relations between Africans and Europeans. Slavery and the slave trade in turn created social relations because slaves were considered to be a class of their own. Another social relation that resulted from slavery was the creation a “new race” known as the...
There is no doubt that European colonialism has left a grave impact on Africa. Many of Africa’s current and recent issues can trace their roots back to the poor decisions made during the European colonial era. Some good has resulted however, like modern medicine, education, and infrastructure. Africa’s history and culture have also been transformed. It will take many years for the scars left by colonization to fade, but some things may never truly disappear. The fate of the continent may be unclear, but its past provides us with information on why the present is the way it is.